Bankroll Management thoughts and doubts

Need opinions on this. I've read threads about the subject at CC and got info from other sources and I'm thinking about this.

First things first: For the sake of simplicity let's say I started with 10BIs since it dropped while I was getting the simplest things. My biggest drop was in the very beggining: almost 2BIs. I started winning and got to 2BIs up before I started 6max where I got almost 2BIs low like FR but now I'm almost breaking even.

I have absolutely no intentions of loosing my initial deposit and no reasons to believe that it will happen. I'm doing ok, learning my thing, yada yada yada. But even if I did, I'm not playing on a lot of money, scared money and so on. Actually my initial deposit was made from money I saved from smoking less. So it's a good thing!

My initial plan in FR was to get 100BIs and follow a strict BRM of 5% per BI, etc. I'm now feeling that if I keep learning, that will become very slow to move up and since I'm not playing for money I can be much more aggressive on moving up early on and more conservative later on.

What if instead of the 100BI rule, I would go for a exponential BRM, like this:

2NL 10BI
5NL 15BI
10NL 20BI
25NL 25BI

and so on, but assuming that I move down if I get to the previous step. So if I go up to 5NL and loose down to $20, I'm back to 2NL.

I know it's kind of aggressive, but does this make any sense to any of you considering the points I mentioned above?

Doesnt look very exponential.
But yeah, that line of thinking is what is generally used.

I've played on various sites with just a small roll on each where I didn't particularly stick to rigid BRM. Sure, I ended up going broke but I was only just starting out and using those small rolls to help me practice and learn the basics. When I became more proficient I joined Stars with a decent roll on the understanding that I would not deviate from the 5% cash/STT buy in/2% MTT buy in under any circumstances and so far I've stuck to that.

Of course there are times where it seems like moving up a level is going to take forever but I suppose it's all part of paying your poker dues, as it were. If you're happy to tweak the 5% buy in and be more aggressive with your BRM then I think that's okay as long as you have the discipline to drop down a level if you go through a downswing.

BRM is overrated when you are playing micros. You can be even more aggressive and move up with 7-8 BI to the next level ,if you think that you can beat the game.

HOWEVER, You have to go down quickly if you lose 2BI.

If you don't plan to cash out soon.... BRM becomes all about how to avoid going broke. It's stupid to risk more than 30% of the BR on a single table, but I don't see any reason to grind for months before moving up.

All good points, thanks for your feedback.

I have no plans to cash out. Initially my plan was to cash out half of my earnings monthly to make the climb slower but I rarely multitable and I don't play that many hands per month that justifies it. Better to leave it in the BR and keep playing.

I honestly lose interest in the game with my over the top conservative BRM on STTs.

Play without distraction, when you're not tired, when you've nothing else on the mind and you'll play your A-game. Thus minimising the loss and lowering your BRM requirements. That's what I am trying to do

BRM is not going to matter if you are not a winning player to begin with. BRM takes into account variance. Which basically means those hands you should win will not always win therefore no matter how well you play your still going to lose! However when I play I will go through days with lots of third or fourth place finishes. Then a week later Ill win first and second all day. So the idea is to pad your losing streaks so you can deal with a HUGE downswing! Good luck player!

Thanks Potheadwoman, but I play cash games, so variance, although present is not an issue as big as in tournaments. I wouldn't put this into consideration for tournaments.

Thanks.

i have said this before, and will likely say it again: moving up should be entirely based on your being comfortable at the new level you'd be playing. if you would be comfortable playing the level above and think you can beat it comfortably, by all means move up as soon as your bankroll can afford losing a few buy-ins there. it also depends on the volatility/variance of games you are playing. for FR hold'em you would need slightly less money than for 6-max, which in turn requires less than if you are playing heads-up or PLO.

peelio had an idea recently, which he has shared here and there as well - how about instead of trying to figure out how many BI you have for the level above, you figure how many you feel comfortable with at your current level. then, add to that a few BI at the level above for taking a shot. thus, say you were playing 5nl so far and are thinking of moving to 10. you feel pretty comfortable and certain that you would not be going broke if you have 30 BI for 5nl (this may be high for some, low for others, so use your own comfort number). so the time to take a 4-BI shot at the next level is when you have 30*5+4*10 = 190 in your bankroll. yes, you will not have too many BI for the next level, but the purpose of a shot is to be more aggressive, to try beating the next level, and if you succeed, getting to the proper BRM levels will be just a matter of time. of course, using that method also requires the discipline to move back down quickly if your shot fails, which has been dumbed a little if you have waited for much longer to move up.

your list mentioned at the end of the OP seems a little too aggro, though. 10BI? there is no level that i would feel comfortable at with this little. even if i am solidly beating something, coolers and downswings happen, and 10BI can be easily lost just like that. if, however, you think that having 10 BI is enough at 2nl and it would be impossible to lose it if you have to move down, by all means do that. just be wary of the dangers (and if you ask me, stick to at least 20 BI - for the level below).

Thanks very much for the insight benevg. 10BI was pretty much how I started in 2NL, never lost it, so that was the starting point. I agree it's low, maybe start with 20 BIs for 5NL just to be safe.

I have downswings but on 2NL I really can't see going bust if that makes sense.

Well, just like the others said, everyone on his own has to feel comfortable at a special limit. For sure 10BI is low, but it is on the lowest level. So if you bust, you have to build it up again by grinding freerolls =)). On a higher limit I guess 20BI should be a minimum.